Classifier or separator.



PATENTEDJUNE 16, 1908, c. CHURCHILL.

CLASSIFIER OR SEPARATOR.

ggruunlon FILED MAR. 28, 1907. RENEWED NOV. 9, 1907.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Z V vtmeooeo PATENTED JUNE 16, 1908.v

G. CHURCHILL.

CLASSIPIER 0R SEPARATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 28, 1907 RENEWED NOV. 9. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wane/was UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CREIGHTON CHURCHILL, OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHURCHILL COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CLASSIFIER OR SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1908.

Application filed March 28, 1907, Serial No. 365,124.' Renewed November 9, 1907, Serial No. 401,495.

I To all whom it may concern:

, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in classifiers or separators for materials of different specific gravities, and it depends for its action upon a combination of forces exerted by a current of Water, by gravity and by centrifugal force.

It is primarily intended to separate mineral from sand or gravel, both in a fine condition, although it is notrestricted to this use.

With this object in view, my invention consists in the construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

- In the accompanying draw ngs Figure 1 is a side elevation of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the separating cone, and Fig. 3 is a cross section of the same.

My invention consists rincipally of a hollow circular cone, in which is mounted a freely-movable rotator or propeller, having spiral blades of gradually increasing pitch, t e material being forced into the bottom of this hollow cone by suitable means.

0 represents the hollow cone, b the pipe conducting the material into the bottom thereof, which pipe connects with a centrifugal pump 0, having an inlet pipe (3, and driven by a belt e. I Any other suitable means, however, may be used for forcing a current of water mixed with the material to be treated in a steady stream up through the hollow cone. Around the top of the cone is arranged a circular discharge trough f, terminating in a spout g, this trough and spout being inclined. Within the cone are two spider frames h and i, secured to the. interior of said cone in any suitable Way, and in the central bosses of these frames is mounted a pin 9', having a pointed head is, and fastened )y a nut l at the top, the head and nut serving to firmly secure the pin in the bosses of the spider frames.

- which, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, are spiral in shape, and of increasing pitch from the bot-v tom to the to At interva s, the walls of the cones are perforated, and the openings therein have secured around them discharge pipes, such as 0, each having an enlargement p, which serves as a bearing for the rod g, of a valve 1', said'rod also being provided with a handwheels. The i es 0, which extend outward and downwar om the cone, each have aswinging door t at the bottom, closed by a latch a.

The operation is as follows :The material, mixed with water, is forced upwardly through the cone in a steady stream. This stream strikes the propeller blades, causing a the propeller to revolve, and producing a rotary movement of the liquid, which, combined with the force of the stream coming in at the base of the cone, causes the material to travel upwardly in a spiral path, the solid articles being t orce. The construction described entirely prevents the formation of eddies in the cone, such as would naturally result if a stream of water were pumped into the bottom of a hollow cone. The separation isaccomplished by'means of the coaction of the stream of runmn water, gravity and centrifugal force. Un er the combination of these three forces any particular material will rise to a definite height and lodge along the side of said cone, or be carried around in an approximately circular path in said cone at a distance above the space of said cone, which is determined by the specific gravity of the particle and its mass. If the particle is light, it will be carried up over the to of the cone. If the particle is heavy, it wi 1 stop near one of the discharge valves. Thus the sand, gravel, etc. are carried up over the top of the cone, while heavier mineral particles do not rise so high, and can be discharged through one of the discharge pipes o by opening the correspondoo ing-valve 1' and flap t.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A separator or classifier, consisting of a 105 propellerprovided with spiral blades in said 110 rown out by centrifugal cone and adapted to be driven by said stream, substantially as described.

2. A separator or classifier, consisting of a hollow cone and rovided with means for forcing a stream of the material to be separated, mixed with water, up through the base thereof, and a rotatably mounted propeller in said cone provided with spiral lades and adapted to be driven by said stream, said propeller increasing in size from the bottom up so as to correspond with the slope of the cone, substantiall as described.

3. In a separator 01' classi er, the combination of a hollow inverted cone, a pipe connected With the bottom of said cone, and

means for forcing the material under treatment through said pipe, said cone being-grovidedwith valved discharge pi es at erent heights; andhaving rotata 1y mounted therein a propeller having spiral blades of a pitch increasing from the bottom upwardly,

substantially as described; Bil

4. In a separator or classifier, the combination of a hollow cone rovided with a dis? charge s out and wit In testimony whereof, I affix mysignature, 35

in presence of two witnesses.

CREIGHTON CHU Witnesses:

S. R. CUsHING, N .,J. WIENER.-

valved discharge pipes at ifferent heights thereon, a pipe for 

